Book Key Terms for Latin America and The Caribbean Flashcards
Megacities
Having more than 10 million residents
Examples: Sao Paolo, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro
neotropics
tropical ecosystems of the western hemisphere
grassification
the conversion of tropical forest into pasture
Air pollution
is a major concern for Mexico City and Santiago Chile
shields
humid lowlands interspersed with large upland plateaus
altitudinal zonation
relationship between cooler temperatures at higher elevations and changes in vegetation
El Nino
When a warm pacific current arrives along the normally cold costal waters of Ecuador and Peru in December around Christmastime
produces torrential rains
urban primacy
a condition in which a country has a primate city three to four times larger than any other city in the country
Primate Cities
Examples: Lima, Caracas, Guatemala, Panama, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Mexico City
squatter settlements
where many of the urban poor live in self-built housing on land that does not belong to them
latifundia
long-observed practice of maintaining large estates by peasants that were denied access to territory of their own
minifundia
peasants farming small plots for their substinence
agrarian reform
peasants demanding the redistribution of land ownership
mestizo
people of mixed European and Indian ancestry (mostly in southern cone)
remittances
monies sent back home to sustain family members
syncretic religions
blends of different belief systems
Organization of American States (OAS)
neutral hemispheric version of American relations and cooperation
UNASUR
Union of South American Nations includes all the states of South America except French Guiana
Treaty of Tordesillas
Portuguese presence in the Americas was result of this
supernational organizations
governing bodies that include several states
newest one being UNASUR
Subnational organizations
groups that represent areas or people within the state form along ethnic or ideological lines or can support organized crime
neoliberalism
policy reforms that emphasized privatization, direct foreign investment, and free trade
maquiladors
Mexican assembly plants that line the border with the US
informal sector
provision of goods and services without the benefit of government regulation, registration, or taxation
dependency theory
expansion of European capitalism created the region’s underdevelopment
dollarization
process by which a country adopts in whole or in part - the US dollar as its official currency
Bolsa Family
conditional cash transfer programs from the state have reduced extreme poverty
rimland
the Caribbean coastal zone of the mainland
includes Belize and the Guianas as well as the coast of Central and South America
Greater Antilles
Four large islands: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico
Lesser Antilles
form a double arc of small islands stretching from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad
Smaller in size and population than the Greater Antilles
Hurricanes
heavy rains and fierce winds
Caribbean diaspora
the economic flight of caribbean peoples across the globe- has become a way of life for much of the region
plantation America
designates a cultural region that extends from midway up the coast of Brazil through the Guianas and the Caribbean into the southeastern United States
mono-crop production
a single commodity under plantation system that concentrated land in the hands of elite families
African Diaspora
the forced removal of Africans from their native areas due to things such as the slave trade
maroons
communities of runaway slaves
indentured labor
workers contracted to labor on estates for a set period of time often several years
Creolization
refers to the blending of African, European, and some Amerindian cultural elements into the unique cultural systems found in the Caribbean
Monroe Doctrine
claimed that the US would not tolerate European military involvement in the western hemisphere
neocolonialism
when the US indirectly asserted its control over the region with the Monroe Doctrine
CARICOM
Caribbean Community and Common Market
regional industrialization plan and the creation of the Caribbean development Bank to assist poorer states
Bananas
are important to the Caribbean
Free-trade zones
FTZs duty-free and tax-exempt industrial parks for foreign corporations
Offshore banking
centers appeal to foreign banks and corporations by offering specialized services that are confidential and tax exempt
capital leakage
huge gap between gross income and the total tourist dollars that remain in the Caribbean
brain drain
training professionals for the benefit of developed countries
brain gain
return of migration of Caribbean peoples from North America and Europe
contribute to the social and economic development of a home country with experiences they have gained abroad
